There is absolutely no reason why kosher food and desserts have to be anything less than what everyone else is eating. Share with me your baking and cooking sucesses, challenges, and disasters. I will share my recipes, shabbat and holiday menu planning and my love of food.

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

This is the time of year when
Jewish people contemplate their lives. For my family, this season started early,
when my beloved father in- law, Arthur Shoyer, z”l passed away in July. His
death has helped me appreciate what is means to live a good life.

Every summer I teach cooking
and baking at Camp Ramah New England. My husband Andy and I arrived at camp for
Shabbat laden with goodies for our kids and their friends. After morning
services we hosted everyone on the back porch of the guesthouse, overlooking the
lake. We fed the crowd bagels, cakes, homemade challah, fresh mozzarella,
arugula, avocados, berries and cherries -- food they do not get at camp. As
they stuffed their faces, the kids shared stories of camp life. Andy and I were
too full for lunch but Emily the counselor told all the campers that they had
to make an appearance. Andy and I made cups of mint tea, sat down, gazed at the
lake and had a conversation about our future.

I remember thinking to
myself, “wow, this is what a good life feels like: a full belly, a full heart
and a view.” I also recall thinking that for the next seven hours there was nowhere
I had to be, nothing I had to do. And then the picture changed.

After we learned that Andy’s
father died, I went to the dining hall and gathered up the five (out of 6
total) grandchildren, my four plus our niece. As we walked back to the guesthouse,
I told them the news. They adored their Grandpop and took it very hard. Looking
back, it was truly a blessing that Andy and I were there to be with them as
they worked through their grief to get to a place where they could reminisce together.

We know his death was not
tragic because he was almost 95, still had his wits about him and he went
quickly and spared all of us difficult
decisions. Nevertheless, we miss him.

Arthur Shoyer was my biggest cheerleader. He made me feel that he was happy I was around,
probably because I always fed him. He also had a special relationship with my
grandmother who baked him sponge cakes. He had an appetite to the end – the
last time I saw him, at the Citron and Rose kosher restaurant in Philadelphia, a
not-hungry Arthur tasted everything and then returned there the next week to eat
more.

Arthur was modest,
philanthropic, elegant and a big tease. He had a fabulous singing voice and we
have a video of him singing in our house with Andy on piano accompanied by dear
friend and American Idol contestant, Ilanna Starr.

Last March I was in Florida
for a few baking events and met Arthur’s physical therapist. The man said he
had never met anyone like Arthur Shoyer. A year after his hip surgery, Pop was
still trying to walk without the walker. At 94 years old, there was no “this is
the best I could do,” or “this is good enough.” His approach was that you just
keep pushing yourself as far as you can go. And then you work even harder.

Pop's life is really
what a good life looks like. He built a bookbinding business to support his
family. He traveled the world and collected art. He had a positive attitude. He enjoyed a large community of friends. He loved his family and left a legacy of
menches.

Life is measured by small
pleasures: a slice of challah, a hug, teaching your daughter-in-law about cookbook bindings, celebrating three bar mitzvahs this year in spectacular
fashion, turning “happy birthday to you” into a Broadway showstopper, a bite of
sponge cake.

For the month of Elul before
Rosh Hashanah we blow the shofar every day as a wake up call. Let Arthur
Shoyer’s life well lived be the wake up call that reminds us how to be the best
we can be both to ourselves and to everyone around us.

Apple Pastry Pie

Arthur loved all my desserts and liked to forget that
he was a diabetic. Here is one of the many desserts I brought to camp to feed
my children and their friends. Puff pastry is so easy to work with that you
will forget your past frustrations assembling a lattice over a pie made with
flakey pie dough.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Remove frozen puff
pastry from the freezer and thaw at room temperature for 45 minutes, or until
you can roll it out without it breaking.

Meanwhile, cook the apples.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat and add the apple wedges.
Cook for five minutes, stirring often. Add the granulated sugar, cinnamon and
ginger and cook for 20minutes, or
until fork tender, stirring often. Turn down the heat to low after ten minutes.
If some pieces soften sooner than others, remove them to a large bowl. When
cooked, place the apples into the bowl and let cool. If rushed, place the bowl
of apples in the freezer for 15 minutes.

When the pastry is ready to
be rolled, place a piece of parchment on the counter and sprinkle with flour.
Unroll one of the pastry sheets and place on the parchment with the creases
vertical. Roll with a rolling pin to smooth out the creases and to roll out the
rectangle about 2 ½ inches larger on each side, trying to keep the rectangular
shape. Every once in a while. Lift up the pastry and sprinkle a little flour underneath.

Take a 9 X 13-inch pan and
turn onto the pastry so the pan bottom is facing up. Holding the parchment and
pastry to the pan rim, turn the pan over so the pastry is now in the bottom of
the pan. Press into the corners and sides and remove the parchment. Use a fork
to prick some holes in the pastry and place in the freezer until ready to bake.

Sprinkle some flour on the
parchment you just used and roll out the second sheet of pastry about 14 inches
wide and 16 inches long. Use a knife to cut the long way into 1-inch long
strips of dough. Cover a cookie sheet with more parchment and lift up the
strips and place them on the covered cookie sheet, about ½ inch apart. Place
into the fridge.

When the apples are cooled,
add the vanilla and honey and stir. Add the flour and brown sugar and stir to
distribute; the apples with be coated with a gooey glaze. Scoop into the chilled
pastry-lined 9 X 13 inch pan and spread evenly.

To
assemble the lattice: Place half the dough strips (about 7) diagonally across
the pie, about 1/2 inch apart. Fold the first, third, fifth and seventh strips
back over themselves. Place another strip vertically across the unfolded
strips. Unfold the folded strips over the new strip. Now fold back the strips
that were not folded before, the second, fourth and sixth strips. Add another
vertical strip, about ½ inch from the other, over the unfolded strips and then
unfold the folded ones. Keep alternating until you have covered the pie. Trim
off the edges and press to seal the edges of the lattice strips to the rim of
bottom crust.

Use
a pastry brush to brush the egg white all over the top of the lattice. Sprinkle
the remaining teaspoon sugar all over the top. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until pastry is golden. Serve warm. May be
made a day in advance and stored covered at room temperature and reheated.